Police says not enough evidence to support premeditated murder charges against youths

Chokechai police did not slap premediated murder charges against a group of teenagers allegedly involved in the killing of a disabled man in Lat Phrao area because of insufficient evidence to prove that the crime was pre-mediated, said Pol Lt-Gen Sanit Mahathavorn, acting metropolitan police commissioner, on Monday.

However, he said the enquiry officers of Chokechai police station have filed murder charges against the suspects which carry maximum penalty of death similar to pre-mediated murder charges.

He explained that police could not overcharge the suspects otherwise they would be accused by the public of being biased or unprofessional. Some of the suspects told the police that they merely responded to a friend’s call for help and not call to kill the disabled man, he said.

The family of the victim, Mr Somkiat Srichan, has lodged a petition to the national police chief questioning why the police did not slap the suspects with pre-mediated murder charges.

Pol Lt-Gen Sanit asserted that the case could not be distorted in favour of the suspects simply because two of them were children of policemen in Chokechai and Bang Chan police stations.